First Years
by IronRaven
Summary: A lot went on the first few years the Institute was in existence. Once things were quiet. Before Apocalypse. This will be a collection of short fics and drabbles about those years, prior to Kitty, Kurt and Rogue graduating high school.
1. Chapter 1

**X-Men Evolution: First Years**

This is going to be a collection of short ficlets and scenes set during Rogue, Kitty and Kurt's high school years. Nothing here will occur after **Graduation** and probably none of it will occur after A-day (the battle with Apocolypse).

_-fy_

To start us off... This is set shortly after Self Possessed.

_-fy_

"You are recovering well, Rogue. You are progressing faster than I expected."

Rogue sat on the bed in the infirmary, her knees up at her chest. "It's actually kinda quiet. In here, yah know?." Her gloved finger brushed her hair back from her forehead.

"I'm not surprised. You've absorbed most of us at one time or another." The Professor set his hand on the edge of the bed, gently.

That she was sane was really quite amazing. The images were a jumble, a few dozen lives shaken into a single pile without organization or separation, blurring together. It had nearly knocked him back when he first touched them. "Your mind was rather noisy- anyone with a weaker sense of their own self would have lost control much earlier. And lost their being in the process."

"Huh.. thanks, Ah think." She smiled weakly. She didn't feel like she was strong- she was as limp as a wet rag and dripping with doubt. The worst part was that she'd seen everything but couldn't stop it- it was like some renegade, terrified part of her had turned her body over to everyone else to be... used. She hated that she'd lost control like that, it was humiliating and frightening. She'd been violated, and she couldn't hide from the person who'd hurt her.

"Professor, can I keep one of them?"

"Rogue..." Charles looked at the troubled girl intently. He wasn't sure who she had in mind, and why she'd want to keep one of the personality fragments that haunted her was unclear. The only ones left were the three she trusted the most- he'd saved them for last, they'd been able to help push the others out. But if they stayed, the danger of them trying to become dominant was too great. "No, Rogue. We need to remove them all before you and I can create psychic barriers that will keep them from trying to take over again."

Rogue sighed. There were times where sharing your head with Katherine Pryde could be annoying. Shadowcat was perky, bubbly, excitable and sometimes even a little bit of a ditz, despite being so smart. She was everything that Rogue wasn't. And Rogue kinda liked having Kitty around. She'd never really had friends growing up, not even imaginary ones. Kitty was a friend, even if Rogue wanted to stuff a sock in the girl's mouth every time she said 'like'. She knew that the Kitty in her head was just an echo of the Kitty she knew, but it was nice, having her own personal ray of sunshine around. "OK, Professor, let's get it over with."

**Authors notes:**

The other two still in there were Logan and Kurt. First one out was Mystique/Rystie.

So, dont' expect a lot of activity on this one. It will jump about. I will not discuss Remy's experinces on A-day here- that will be it's own work, tentatively titled _Deluge and Rapture_.


	2. Chapter 2

**X-Men Evolution: First Years**

Well, I think we can all determine when this is placed

_-fy_

Yes, Apocalypse was gone. At least for now; no one was under the illusion that he'd been beaten. He had left on his own, still at his most powerful. He was a danger that would continue to hang over them like a weight that would fall in it's own time.

And Magneto was gone, dead, destroyed by his own insanity. Kitty was worried about that. In a way, she'd actually miss him. From his point of view, he was fighting to protect people like her and her family. The worst part is that the Professor had barely reacted when his long time friend and rival had just, like, poof, vaporized. He had been silent on the flight back, staring into nothing

But when they got back, it had been too quiet. Of the older students, only Rogue and Kurt hadn't flown down. Kurt should have been in the hanger, waiting for them, with Rogue in her usual "wha', me cah? Ain't nothin tah worry bout" spot, stretched on the couch until they got back. That had been disturbing, but it was that time of night that some called "oh-dark-thirty".

Kitty wasn't ready for what she found in her room. She wanted to grab clean clothes, shower and write up her after action for Scott, then just crash. She'd been quiet to not wake Rogue,but the latter girl was still awake. She lay face down on her bed, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

She sat next to her friend, hand on her shoulder. "Rogue? Rogue? What happened? What's wrong?"

Rogue ignoring her, or pushing her away, those she would have expected. Rogue rolling over and hugging her around the middle, shaking and gasping as she tried to make a voice worn to nothing by tears hadn't been expected. It took her several seconds to gasp out, "Ah killed her, Ah pushed her over and she shattered. Oh Gawd... Ah killed her..."

Kitty held her friend as she learned what happened, torn between compassion and horror. Her fingers stroked Rouge's spine, as the words rasped out four and five at a time from the traumatized young woman. Learning what had happened made Kitty nauseous. Mystique was dead, turned into a statue like something from one of Amara's myths. "Why did you do it Rogue? What were you thinking?"

"She used me, she and Irene, they were going to turn me into a weapon. They lied to me, made mah mind a mess. She's dead and she's still messing with Kurt." Wide streaks of dark makeup ran down to Rogue's chin from her eyes. "I couldn't let her hurt him any more. He's... I... He's mah little brother. I had to protect him... from her."

**Authors notes:**  
I'm not sure if Kitty missing Magneto is her own thoughts- the Professor grew up with "boys don't cry". He can't mourn his friend who became the enemy, but I suspect there was a lot of psychic backwash coming off him.

Friends are the people you'll die for; family are the one's you'll destroy yourself to keep safe.


	3. Chapter 3

**X-Men Evolution: First Years**

Again, I think we can all figure out when this is happening. *laughs*

_-nt_

Used one way, their mutant powers could be highly destructive. Used another way, they made a pretty good construction company with a little help from the professionals. There had been a few outcries from the younger students about child labor laws when some of the construction was added to their chores; after the Professor agreed to pay them, and by the job, not the hour, they had jumped at the chance to help.

Still, that didn't mean there weren't problems. A thousand pounds of stone is a menace to everyone if the person moving it is distracted, be they a crane operator or a telekinetic. If anything, a distracted Jean might be a little more dangerous.

One did not need to be a telepath to know what, or rather who, was on Jean's mind- all you had to do was follow the distracted gaze. Ororo fought the urge to chuckle. She had seen this coming for years. "It's a good day for new beginnings. And for telling people how you feel."

"Maybe..." How long had she been attracted to him. Maybe forever. Then why had she gone after Duncan? Jean knew the answer- he was a pretty piece of meat, but she didn't feel threatened by his mind. Or the lack there of. But now, he was just a jerk. Why had she ever dated him to begin with?

Maybe it was because Scott was always there. Jean didn't want to be set up with the boy down the hall. There had been a part of her that had found Scott cute, but it was creepy at first. It felt kind of like two pandas at the zoo, only without the gawkers. And then Taryn had set her up with Duncan... Jean felt a mental sigh.

Scott scared her a little. She had told herself she hadn't been interested because it would have been like dating her brother. Or that if they broke up, she'd have to look at him every day, hear his voice. And if he left her, it would have been too much. And she hadn't wanted to leave. She'd had to learn to control her telepathy, or she probably would have ended up in the cell next to Wanda's in the mental ward.

"Maybe, Jean?" Storm smiled softly, glancing back up at the roof where Scott and Logan were nearly done connecting the various antennas.

"Maybe." Jean smiled back. The Institute's weather goddess could read her almost as well as Scott could. But Jean cheated. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Ororo stiffened a hair, cautiously.

Jean looked around, before dropping her voice to a near whisper. "I've seen you, _looking_ at Wolverine."

Storm blushed. "Hush, child." A slow, shy smile spread on her lips. "He's too wild for me, and I'm too busy, between rebuilding and testifying." After barging in on a Congressional committee meeting, she and Hank had been called to testify again, not just in Washington but also in Albany. There were already rumors that the Professor would be called, along with a panel of 'learned experts in a variety of fields'. Of course, the rumors didn't have the Professor on the latter. "Besides, it would be unprofessional. He's my co-worker."

"Uh huh..."

"If you say anything to anyone, I'll tell Scott how you feel."

"Storm!" It was Jean's turn to blush. "What if I say something to him my own."

"I would say, 'Well! It's about time.' That poor boy has been in love with you since he first met you."

**Author's notes:  
**The "less" human you seem, the more human you really are. **  
**


End file.
